


Fury of Thorns

by PrettyIdeal



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-05-07 00:49:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14659755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyIdeal/pseuds/PrettyIdeal
Summary: A battle across the universes takes many forms. The struggle between Fury of Thorns and The Great Wizard Leviathan continues, but the Thorns will never stop fighting, even if it means they cease to exist.





	1. Dallas, 2005: The Second Universe

Stoga tossed her keys towards the bowl that was near the front door. She missed.  
  
She bent down to grab the keys with a frustrated huff when she heard the bathroom door open from across the hall.  
  
"Stoga? Is that you?" The familiar voice of her girlfriend called out. The sound of a wet towel hitting the floor made Stoga exhale with a laugh. Typical.  
  
Stoga smiled despite the horrible day she had just had.  
  
"No, it's a murderer who responds to dumb questions." Stoga stalked into the living room and flopped down onto the couch. But the silence hung in the air between them and after a few moments, Stoga clarified anyway. Eida hated to guess. Even when the answer should be obvious.   
  
"Yes, it's me," Stoga replied, trying not to smirk at the audible sound of relief in her partner's sigh.  
  
"Good. I didn't feel like murdering any strangers today." Eida walked into the living room, her bare feet slapping across the linoleum tiles. Her bright red hair was half dried and her too-large band t-shirt hung down well past her thighs.  
  
If Eida was small, Stoga was even more so. Being mistaken for children was an everyday occurrence, but it wasn't half as bad as the terrible jokes they heard in everyday casual conversation. The amount of people who laughed and said “sweet biscuits, didn't see you down there!" was just embarrassing.   
  
Stoga must have stared a little too long at the hem of Eida's shirt because when she finally tore her eyes away, a fire had started across Eida's face.  
  
"I missed you today," Eida whispered. She stepped closer and unbuttoned Stoga's work vest. It needed a wash, but Stoga just filed the thought away for later.  
  
"Back at you, babe," Stoga smiled.   
  
"-can you ladies turn the radio on this time?!" Both women turned to glare at their living room wall, and Eida snorted in laughter at their neighbor, Levi.  
  
"You perv! Just go for a walk!" She laughed, sinking down into the couch next to Stoga.  
  
The wall to the living room had been partially demolished by the landlord when a pipe had burst on the floor above them. The hole had been three or four feet across, but had been "patched" with a few spare boards until a proper contractor could fix it. That had been over a week ago, and while the two units were technically - "legally," the landlord reminded them - separated, they could still hear the goings on in each apartment clearly.   
  
Too clearly.  
  
"Ugh," Eida rolled her eyes again and snuggled closer to Stoga. "How was work?"  
  
"Awful. There was a missing shipment for that new line, and Terry was adamant that I'd been the one who forgot to order it. Nora couldn't be bothered to check the logs, and-"  
  
"-can I just come over? I feel like I'm in this relationship now too." The voice asked from beyond the wall.  
  
"Fine!" The women called out in unison.  
  
Stoga laughed and got comfortable, kicking her shoes onto the coffee table. Eida rolled her eyes, sticking her bare feet under Stoga's legs.  
  
"What? It's cold," Eida said after Stoga hissed. Her feet were always frozen.  
  
"So put some clothes on," Stoga shot back.  
  
A slow smile creeped onto Eida's face. "...or, I could-"  
  
"Alright! I'm here," Levi announced, practically falling into the armchair beside them after barging in. "Your front door is open, by the way."  
  
"I'm sure Ezriel will be off soon though, right?" Stoga asked in that deadpan way that she knew would make Eida laugh.  
  
Eida looked at the ceiling as if it might explain what they had done in a past life to end up in situations like these before bursting out into laughter. Stoga smirked. She liked being right.  
  
As if on cue, a curse echoed down the hallway as the elevator dinged on their floor. Ezriel cursed again when whatever he'd been carrying hit the hallway with a curious thud. They listened to him fumbling with his keys before Levi bothered to say anything.  
  
"In here, darling!" Levi shouted towards the door.  
  
Another muffled curse came from the hallway before Ezriel nudged Stoga and Eida's door open with his foot.   
  
"Thanks for the help," he said, sarcasm dripping from his words.  
  
Eida untangled herself from Stoga to help juggle whatever Ezriel was dragging into their apartment.  
  
"I've got this one," she said, taking one of the overfilled paper bag out of his hands. "What's in all these?"  
  
"Groceries," he answered.   
  
"Why did you bring your groceries to our house?" Eida asked, placing the bag on the kitchen bar.  
  
"I thought we could make dinner here tonight and-CHRIST!" Ezriel exclaimed, suddenly turning bright red and looking at the ceiling. It didn't have any answers for him either.  
  
"What?!" Eida panicked.  
  
"Where are your trousers?!" Ezriel hissed, somehow turning a darker shade of red. It made his white hair seem to glow in comparison.  
  
"...on my legs?" Eida lifted her t-shirt to reveal Stoga's favorite pair of jean shorts.   
  
Levi laughed from the armchair before getting a pillow tossed at his head by Stoga.  
  
"Try and keep your clothes on," Stoga teased from the couch, laughing once before pulling herself up and groaning.  
  
"Long day?" Ezriel asked, trying his best to ignore the blush currently sweeping along his entire face.  
  
"Too long. I want to quit." Stoga sighed, pulling a bottle of cheap wine from underneath the bar.  
  
"No, you don't!" Eida chimed in, already handing the wine key over the counter, reading her girlfriend's mind. "You want to get promoted, takeover, and fire Terry! Then you'd be free to turn the place around. And take me on a nice vacation to the tropics with the bonus, and-"  
  
"One step at a time," Stoga chuckled.  
  
"Well, if the steps could hurry up, I'd appreciate it." Eida winked. "I need a nice tan."  
  
"So," Levi interrupted, coming to join them around the kitchen island. "What's on the menu?" He seemed more than fine letting Ezriel do all of the work.  
  
"I wanted to make something elegant, and before you complain, remember that I've spent most of our grocery budget on the ingredients." Ezriel answered, his glare somehow haughty and confident at the same time.  
  
"Ooh, things do taste better when they are expensive!" Eida agreed, nodding along.  
  
Stoga finally managed to pull the cork free with a muffled pop. Ezriel reached over top of the fridge and took down four wine glasses. There was one glass left, untouched. For what felt like the hundredth time, Stoga wondered why they kept five glasses up there.   
  
Only this time, as the thought festered, a sharp, strange feeling shot through her when she couldn't remember who had decided to put them there. The glasses had always been there, higher than either of them could reach without the step ladder. And it didn't make sense. This was her apartment. Stoga and Eida's apartment.  
  
"Here! Fill 'er up, hun." Eida smiled, holding her glass out.  
  
"Right," Stoga said, pouring the red liquid into the glass. The feeling passed almost as soon as it came. "Not too fast. You'll spill."  
  
"I never did get that stain out of my shirt," Ezriel cut in. He meant it as a joke, but the loss of his favorite shirt was still a sore spot, plain on his face.  
  
"Hey, as soon as i get a paycheck over $600, it's yours," Eida mumbled before taking a sip.  
  
"I'm holding you to that," he said, but his tone was soft and his eyes...  
  
Stoga frowned. His eyes were brown. Why did it bother her?  
  
Levi got up from the couch and mumbled something about the bathroom, leaving the three of them at the kitchen island.  
  
A knock on the door startled them all.  
  
"I'll get it!" Eida said, skipping down the hall.  
  
Stoga walked to follow, glass in hand.  
  
The woman on the other side of the door was tall and beautiful. Her hair was blonde and curled and hung down near to her waist.  
  
"Good evening. So sorry to bother you, but do you mind if I use your kitchen sink?" The woman was impossibly elegant, even while holding a bag of unpeeled shrimp. She could have stepped right out of a fashion magazine.  
  
"Let me guess...your sink is out too?" Eida winced as she asked.  
  
"It has been broken since last Tuesday, yes. I've been using the sink in the bathroom, but...I just craved grilled shrimp." The woman gestured awkwardly to the bag.  
  
"Well, I don't see the harm. C'mon in," Eida said as she waved a hand towards the kitchen.  
  
Stoga felt her heart grow warm. That was her Eida, always thinking of others. Their whole apartment might smell like fish for a day or two, but it was a small price to pay if it brought Eida a bit of joy.   
  
“Oh! You’ve brought a friend...and shrimp!” Ezriel nearly shrieked with glee, taking everyone by surprise. Ezriel didn’t squeal. Ezriel was the most put-together person that Stoga had ever met. “How did you know?!”   
  
Being together was bringing out sides of these people that Stoga had never seen before. Maybe it was the broken wall, or the constant invasions of privacy, but things were beginning to feel different today.  
  
“I’ve never met this person in my life,” Eida said proudly.  
  
“Oh, yes, how rude of me. Aurelia, charmed. I live upstairs and my sink is broken and I was hoping to wash these shrimp in your kitchen.” She seemed to be regretting her choice to knock on a stranger’s door, but here she was.  
  
Well, that was a thought. Aurelia, a neighbor they had never met, came downstairs to a random doorway in the middle of the hall to ask to use the sink? Stoga felt some senses crawl down her spine. They vanished as soon as Ezriel spoke again.  
  
“Well, the fates have smiled this day,” he laughed once. A short, musical sound. “I’m making this new dish for dinner and shrimp would be perfect. Would you care to join?”  
  
Aurelia glanced around to everyone before a slow smile crept onto her face. “I’d be delighted.”  
  
“Oh, good! More guests!” Eida sat on one of the stools surrounding the island. “Do you mind fetching a glass?” She asked Ezriel, the only person tall enough to grab the fifth wine glass from atop the fridge.   
  
He did so wordlessly and took the bag of shrimp from Aurelia’s hands.   
  
“So, you don’t sound like you’re from around here,” Eida pointed out suddenly. It might have been rude, but the woman seemed amused at the assumption.   
  
“I’ve lived here all my life,” Aurelia supplied. “I have traveled quite a bit, though. Maybe that’s what you’re hearing.”  
  
“That sounds romantic,” Eida trailed off, forgetting to pour wine for their guest. “Stoga, let’s go to Peru. There are some mountains I’d love to climb.”  
  
“Finish pouring that wine,” Stoga chuckled, taking a sip of her own. “And one day, sure.”   
  
The hopeful feeling surrounded them like a warm blanket, but it felt...wrong. Something was wrong.  
  
Ezriel was laughing and getting his hands covered in shells. Aurelia was telling a story as if they were all very good friends. Eida was flirting with everyone, but Stoga realized she didn't feel jealous. And she couldn’t remember a time when they didn’t live here, together. It was all so...natural. These near-strangers, all seemed like family.   
  
Stoga heard the bathroom door open, and Levi’s heavy footfalls distracted them all.   
  
And everything happened at once.   
  
Aurelia’s glass shattered onto the floor as she screamed in anger.   
  
“You!” Their strange neighbor stood in an instant. Her hands...what was she doing with her hands? They were poised as if she was about to play an invisible instrument.   
  
“Hmph.” Levi was scowling when Stoga turned to see what he might have done. “You’re awake, then.”  
  
“What have you done?! What is...what _is_ this?!” Aurelia was looking at her hands as if they had broken.  
  
“You always ruin everything,” Levi huffed. He didn’t look like the man they’d met last week. Or was it last year? His eyes seemed colder than she remembered.  
  
“Levi…?” Ezriel was looking between his boyfriend and their guest, utterly confused. He was already wiping his hands on Stoga’s best kitchen towel. “What are you on about?”  
  
“Stop! Just...stop! We never even _wanted_ to fight! You started _all_ of this! Just send us back!” Aurelia was crying now.   
  
“I can’t do that, _my lady_ ,” and his usually jovial tone had an edge of something Stoga couldn’t quite place.   
  
This was nuts. She needed to call the police, but Levi was standing in front of the phone mounted on the wall.   
  
“Look, whatever is going on, surely we can-” Stoga was cut off when Aurelia pulled her backwards.  
  
“Wake up!” Aurelia was begging now.  
  
“I _am_ awake! You need to stop or I’m calling the police!” Stoga was getting angry. She was confused. It’d been a long day, and nothing felt right anymore.  
  
A loud gasp came from the kitchen, and Eida was looking at Levi, terrified. She suddenly shoved Ezriel behind her before grabbing a knife from the chopping block.   
  
“You couldn’t just die when we defeated you, could you? What are you doing with him?! You’re sick! He isn’t even himself!” Eida was turning red. Stoga realized that her girlfriend - was she, anymore? - was furious. And she was wielding that huge knife with too much skill for comfort.  
  
“Answer her!” Aurelia demanded, still looking between Levi and her hands.  
  
“Why should I?” Levi rolled his eyes. “It’s all too easy, here.”  
  
“‘It’s _EASY_?! Is that what gets you off?!” Eida asked before spinning around faster than Stoga could process, and suddenly the knife was no longer in Eida’s hands. It was buried to the hilt in Levi’s chest.  
  
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he laughed once, a sick, deep sound. “We could have all been happy here. Together.”  
  
“I’ll never stop fighting,” Eida hissed.  
  
Ezriel locked eyes with Stoga, and her confusion suddenly lifted. Everything came flooding back.   
  
The tower. The labyrinth. The dragon’s echo. The portal.  
  
“And you’ll never win,” he answered.  
  
The Great Wizard Leviathan would try again. Stoga hoped she would wake up faster the next time.


	2. Hilford, 1981

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eida and Aurelia wake up in a small town with a simple life, but clawing their way back to freedom is more complicated than any universe they'd found before.

There was a lot they should have done differently, Eida thought.

When they had first landed on the platform, surrounded by darkness at the bottom of that pit, they should have spent longer trying to get back out. They had fallen a long way after defeating Leviathan. There had probably been some sort of magic involved, but even if they had fallen 100, 200, even 1,000 feet, between them they could have figured a way back up and out. They had regained all of their abilities and spells. Surely they could have just-  
  
She was trying to scratch a bit of burnt cake off of the baking tray, but it wouldn't budge. Her arms were halfway submerged into the water of the kitchen sink, and her sponge caught on the hard spot and splashed onto her shirt. She growled in frustration and grabbed the steel wool, _making_ it come off.  
  
"Oh, Eida, stop! No..." Aurelia's familiar voice cut through the damp kitchen air to interrupt Eida's thoughts.  
  
Eida looked at the tray in her hands. She'd scrubbed through the bright yellow non-stick coating. Aurelia had loved it, and Eida had ruined it. Like she had ruined everything else.  
  
Eida sighed and dropped the dish back into the soapy water.  
  
"What's happened this time?" Aurelia asked sincerely but she gave Eida a look that suggested she already knew the answer.  
  
In their world, Aurelia had always had an otherworldly grace. Her elven ears had reflected gold in the sunlight to match her curled golden hair. Her bright, shining eyes had pierced many a mask and brought even the most stubborn of queens to her knees. Her skin had seemed to sparkle when the light would catch it in a certain way. But here, in this place ironically called Hilford, nothing shimmered. Everything was still and dreary and dull. Even Aurelia's bright white day dress hung lifelessly from her form.  
  
Eida didn't know how to answer the question. She had gotten her memory back suddenly in the middle of her workday, and Aurelia had pestered her relentlessly to find out what was wrong. 'It's not _nothing_ ,' Aurelia would say. Eida could never seem to give in and tell her. Living in bliss - as blissful as a dingy apartment and two part time jobs could be - seemed like the best gift that Eida could give to a memory-less Aurelia.

But hiding their past from a spelled Aurelia hadn't lasted very long, and Eida had been a fool to think that she could keep up her charade.  
  
The day that everything came rushing back to the Thorn's most powerful cleric had been a day like most; a misty rain floating through the air under dark grey clouds. It had been raining for nearly a week, but Eida had still had deliveries to make for her second job. There was nothing like terrible weather to make people order fresh pizzas, and Eida had really needed the extra chance to make a few bucks. She remembered being excited to pick up the shift. How she wished she could take it all back, now.

The Aurelia from Hilford had been keeping her eye on a gold-plated bracelet every time they went into town for groceries. The practical side of her beautiful roommate was waiting for it to go on sale, but Eida had grown impatient and had been determined to buy it as soon as she had enough cash stashed away under her mattress. Eida couldn't do much, she couldn't bring them together or defeat Leviathan on her own, but she could buy some trinket and put a smile on Aurelia's face.

Eida sighed and turned to look out of the window, trying to forget how stupid she had been. It was actually a rather nice day, now, but seeing the streetlamps popping on in the distance brought her back to that night anyway. It’d been nearly a week since.

Towards the end of her shift, someone had been waiting at her car after a delivery. They knew she would have cash and they wanted all of it. Unfortunately for them, they had pulled out a knife.  
  
The familiar glint of a sharpened blade had brought everything crashing back. While Eida had kept her new memories, the rush of battle from her old ones was too sweet to ignore. She had easily outmatched the would-be thug’s pathetic attempts to attack her and had quickly brought the poor fool to his knees with his own weapon.  
  
She would have slit his unworthy throat if this had been home. But Hilford was a strange land with strange customs and even if this was self defense, the people would call it murder. She took the idiot's wallet and brought it to the police, keeping the cash for her troubles.  
  
She'd cried herself to sleep that night, but in the morning, was more determined than ever to keep Aurelia in the dark.

Every morning after that, she had gotten up early to make their days as easy as possible. Preparing food, scheduling distractions, and finally buying that damned bracelet.

But that had been a mistake, too.  
  
Aurelia had stood there, strangely human, but still as regal as ever. Her head had instantly tilted up in distaste. Apparently, the reason her blinded self had been drawn to the bracelet was because it had been hers all along. Some sick token put in place by Leviathan to mock them somehow. As soon as Aurelia had touched it, she had dropped it. 

Since then, she'd just been dwelling and pouting. And now, apparently, ruining their good dishware.  

  
"You remember what I told you before?" Aurelia's question brought Eida back to the present. "There was no way out of that pit."  
  
"We didn’t even try. I didn't even try." Eida felt angry tears stinging behind her eyes as she repeated herself for the hundredth time that week. "I miss...them? Us? All of it."  
  
"And I miss banishing peasants from my sprawling estates for daring to steal from their neighbors, but I can't have that back either." Aurelia rolled her eyes and grabbed her keys as she had for the past six days.

As soon as her memories had returned, Aurelia had been searching. It was something that Eida hasn't been able to do herself. She was suddenly relieved that Aurelia usually woke first. Their elven cleric had always been the smart one. Eida was best at following directions. And smashing things.

"Come, I think the others may wake soon. It's always a pattern. I just wish it wasn’t me most every time. It gets so lonely."

Aurelia paused and corrected herself. “I meant that it was nice, not being the first one to remember. I’m glad it was you.”  
  
She turned to see if Eida was following and sighed when she wasn't, dropping her keys back onto the counter.  
  
"Just because we fell through a portal doesn't mean we can give up on everything." Aurelia gestured at Eida's clothes. "When is the last time you took a bath?"  
  
"The better question is probably 'when did you wake up' because you'll like that answer better."  
  
“Right.” Aurelia gestured to the bathroom and gave her smelly friend a pointed look. “Apparently, I was just minding my own business before. Go take a shower. The others can wait a short while longer.”  
  
Eida nodded, trying not to blush. She envied the way Aurelia was so confident that they would find each other again.

That maybe this time, they would succeed.

\-------

Eida wasn't sure how Aurelia did it again and again. The woman never gave up. They had been searching for months. The Winter Solstice - they called it Christmas here - was a few days away, and they were only a dozen blocks into "The Grid."  
  
Aurelia had picked up the term at some point, and it stuck with her through the universes. Time and time again, she'd been faced with only being near one of the Thorns, but more often than not, she would remember in isolation.  
  
She had shocked Eida when, only a few minutes after regaining her memories, she had mapped out the city and began the makings of a plan to find the other half of the Fury of Thorns.  
  
Appearances were important, she reminded Eida. They would need to find jobs on a rotating schedule and watch every block in the city for a full week at a time. They would need a reason for sitting on the same street corner for so long each day. They would need so many things that Eida hadn't even thought to think about.  
  
That's how she found herself holding a tepid cup of coffee and shivering on the sidewalk near a bus stop. She was pretending to search for something on the ground while trying to keep an eye on the people traveling around her, all while cursing Leviathan under her breath.  
  
It hurt to think about how much she loathed the man for more than a brief second. The anger was always just under the surface, simmering and waiting, but it didn't do any good to dwell on. The rage would only make her chest hurt if she couldn't take it out on anything.  
  
"Did you drop something?"  
  
The unexpected question caught her completely off guard.  
  
"Yes, I...-" Eida couldn't finish her sentence.  
  
Ezriel.  
  
A lifetime ago, they had fought a great wizard and boasted victorious. Several lifetimes since, they had been friends and roommates and lovers and husband and wife. Now, she was beginning to lose track of how many times they had been strangers.  
  
Standing in the snow in his pristine white coat, bundled in fashionable scarves and designer boots, Ezriel waited.  
  
"Sorry. Yes, I did lose something. Or, rather, someone." Eida finally collected herself enough to remember the ruse Aurelia had planned.  
  
It took a surprising amount of willpower to keep from tackling him in the biggest hug she could muster.  
  
"Oh?" An impossibly elegant eyebrow darted up, arching in question. He hadn't expected her answer.  
  
"I was meant to meet a friend for coffee, but I dropped the map she drew me and I don't remember how to get there." She sighed, hoping it was a believable lie.  
  
"Ah. Do you know the name of the shop? I've lived here all my life. I probably know where it is, miss...?" He waited.  
  
"Eida," she smiled. "It's called...The Chapter? Or...oh, that isn't right. Something about books?"  
  
"Yes, Chapters and Chais," he chuckled briefly. "Ezriel," he said, holding out his hand.  
  
She almost grasped his forearm for a warrior's greeting but stopped herself just in time. She shook his hand instead. Even through his gloves, she wondered if he had felt the spark that had just shot through her.  
  
He smiled pleasantly and gestured back the way he had come, and she was disappointed that simply touching him hadn't brought back Ezriel: The Sorcerer Fury. This was simply...Ezriel, Probably-an-Accountant.  
  
As they turned, he stepped aside to let her pass and moved between Eida and the busy street a pace or two behind. She wondered if he realized what he was doing. If this were a scouting mission, they would have been in much the same formation; ready for anything.  
  
He smelled like she remembered: thunderstorms and spices. The rhythm of his steps hadn't changed either. Eida wondered if he would sound the same during other more heated activities before quickly stomping out the thought. She felt the frustrated blush overtake her entire face. Eida tried to distract him in case he had noticed.  
  
"While I've got you, mister 'lived here my whole life,' do you know of any places to go for fun?" She needed him to want to spend more time with them. She hoped she could get this right. Eida knew Ezriel the Fury. Eida did not know Ezriel the Human.  
  
"Well I suppose that depends on what 'fun' means to you." He answered.  
  
This was it. She'd gone over it with Aurelia dozens of times, but in the moment, she couldn't stick with her script. She was meant to mention the fine restaurants and boutiques and the city’s one theater. To bring up her love of the arts and mention a designer or two.  
  
She couldn't. Ezriel - her Ezriel - was trapped and oblivious and perfect and she couldn't put up a false pretense with him; even if it was for his own good.  
  
"I know my friend is excited to visit the high end shops here, but actually...I was thinking more along the lines of...well, maybe somewhere with a view?"  
  
He slowed down for a step but never lost his stride. He was still towering behind her, walking at a slower pace to accommodate her own shorter one.  
  
"I mean, there are so many hills here. Surely one of these trails leads to the best view of the city?"  
  
What she wouldn't give for their favorite spot on the Roiling Mountainside. The small clearing on the cliff face that overshadowed their keep only took an hour or two to reach. It had been a private, yet irresistibly open space to spend an afternoon. The ‘hills of Hilford’ wouldn't be the same, but maybe a short hike could help close the gaping wound in her heart. They hadn't been up to anything fun in months. Finding Ezriel might lend a bit of time for a mini celebration.  
  
The thought came and went with the next step. They still needed to find Stoga. Why didn't she stick to the plan? She could try and back out of the question or-  
  
"Actually, my roommate loves to hike. I bet he would know the perfect place. He works nearby, perhaps we could take a short detour after we find your friend?"  
  
_'Fucking Leviathan.'_ Eida cursed in her head.  
  
But instead, she heard herself saying, "oh, how lovely" as they continued to walk.

The cafe had a patio where Aurelia was lounging elegantly, pretending to read a magazine. How she managed to look both approachable and intimidating while layered in winter clothing was beyond Eida.  
  
The only physical reaction from the elegant woman was the briefest hitch in her breathing. To anyone else, it looked like she'd just read something scandalous. But Eida knew better.  
  
"There you are!" Eida said, quickening her pace. She winked as she went in for a hug, hoping Aurelia would pick up on the hint.  
  
"You're late," Aurelia said as a greeting.  
  
"I would have been even later if this lovely gentleman hadn't taken time out of his busy day to rescue me!" Eida huffed before introducing him.  
  
"Aurelia: Ezriel. Ezriel: Aurelia."  
  
"Charmed," Aurelia said, looking up from her magazine.  
  
"A pleasure," he responded, and Eida's heart twisted when he gave Aurelia a slight bow. The familiar gesture, reserved for only those deemed worthy.  
  
If it broke Aurelia's heart as well, there was no way to tell. Her mask of polite indifference was firmly in place.  
  
"I know you only have a short while before your meeting, but do you think you could make a little more time for me?" Eida leaned on the empty chair at Aurelia's table.  
  
"Hm. You know I have a tight schedule today, and I've already wasted an hour of it being stared at by a lot of strangers." She added, glaring at a passing man who had probably done just that.  
  
"Oh, please? Ezriel says that he knows a spot where we can see the entire city!" Eida begged.  
  
"We can stop by my roommate's office,” Ezriel offered. “I'm sure he knows plenty of trails that will show off the best parts of Hillford." Eida had to swallow the anger, but she didn’t need to worry.  
  
Aurelia played her part beautifully.  
  
"I'm afraid I don't have time for any of that, and in this day and age, time is money.” She stood rather abruptly and left a dollar on the table. “I am sorry that we weren't able to catch up, dear. Maybe next time?”

“Oh...of course,” Eida didn't have to pretend to sound upset. This was the plan, after all. Find a Thorn; get them alone; root out the other and hope for the best. But she truly hadn't expected to find Ezriel before Stoga, and being here with him while he was not himself was hard. Harder than she realized it would be this time.

Maybe because they had failed so many times before. Or maybe it was that in their last universe, they had been married. Or maybe it was a dozen other things, but right now, she didn't know how to fight a monster that she couldn't hit.

“Miss,” she barely heard him speaking. “Miss!” Ezriel put a tentative hand on her shoulder.

“I'm- yes? Sorry, I must’ve...ah, did you say something?” Eida looked up at him. He was blurry.

“You're upset. Here, why don't we sit for a moment, yes?” He was so elegant, it hurt.

She was crying, but hadn't realized it until he'd taken a pristine handkerchief - because of course he would have one - out of his coat pocket. She felt numb as she wiped her face clean.

“I am. I didn't think I would be so upset.” Eida confessed. He had no idea that she was really talking about him, but it felt nice to say it aloud.

“I can't possibly leave you now in this state,” he said. If anyone else had said those words, it would have come across as patronizing. But when he spoke them, he meant it from his heart, and he'd just said them to a complete stranger. He was perfect.

She steeled herself against the new tears that stung at her eyes.

“Thank you,” she said. “But I should go. I've had enough heartbreak for one day, I think.”

If he was confused by her statement, he didn't let on. He did, however, ask her to wait a moment as he pulled a small silver case from his shoulder satchel. A matte black card on heavy paper showed his name and number printed in shining silver letters.

“If you get lost again.” He said.

Eida smiled and took the card. It was thick and heavy and had probably cost as much as she'd made that month. All over again, she hated Leviathan for giving him luxuries with strings attached. If the Great Wizard had truly loved Ezriel, he wouldn't keep up the charades.

“I will.” She hadn't meant to speak quietly, but her voice was barely a whisper.

He walked off, confidence incarnate, and for a moment she was back in their keep, watching him glide down the Great Hall towards his chambers after a long day of negotiations, the lanterns on the walls brightening and dimming as he passed.

She wiped her eyes with his handkerchief before she realized that she had forgotten to give it back.

Aurelia was back by her side moments after he had gone.

“What luck,” she preened, excitement practically radiating off of her. “What did you find out?”

Eida handed the sleek black business card to Aurelia without a word. Aurelia didn't push for any details and Eida was grateful for the silence.

“He doesn't remember, I don't think,” she interrupted Eida’s turbulent thoughts softly. “But he's in there. He knew you, even if his mind didn't.”

“I don't know how many more of these I can take.” Eida put her face in her hands.

“That's what _he_ wants.” Aurelia sniffed and tilted her nose in the air as she always did when speaking of Leviathan. “And I've never known you to give up.”

“Was that a challenge?” Eida mumbled from between her fingers.

“Most definitely.” Aurelia sighed, tossing her curled hair back over her shoulder.

“So, what's next then?” Eida huffed and dropped her hands onto the cafe table.

“We find Stoga.” Aurelia stood. “And you win Ezriel over.”

“What?” Eida stood abruptly. “That wasn't the plan!”

“It is now. Especially after the way he looked at you.” Aurelia smirked. “You're going to woo him.”

\-------

Eida stood under the hot water much longer than she should have. She didn't move to get out of the shower until Aurelia knocked loudly on the bathroom door shouting about the utility bill.

She turned the water off and sighed. Today was the day.

After their chance meeting in the city, Aurelia and Eida had tailed Ezriel until they had worked out his schedule. He turned out to be very predictable in this world, save for Tuesday nights, when he would go somewhere unexpected. It was the only night when his “roommate” would let Ezriel have the pretense of freedom. Leviathan followed at a distance, but after seeing where Ezriel would end up, usually retreated back to their large home in the fanciest district of the small city. Probably to murder innocent baby animals. The monster.

Eida took a deep breath and opened the door for Aurelia who immediately began to wrangle Eida into some semblance of “put together.”

It took longer than Eida expected to finally meet Aurelia’s expectations, but when the last of her bright red curls were pinned into place, Eida had to admit that her once-elven friend had outdone herself.

“You'll be perfect.” Aurelia assured her. “All you need to do is be yourself.”

“Who even is that anymore? I haven't been Eida - the _real_ Eida - in...have we been keeping track? How many lives have we lived now? I'm changing. I feel it.” Eida dabbed at the corners of her eyes, trying not to ruin Aurelia’s hard work.

This time period was a strange one. A mess of bright colors and loud patterns made everyday life a riot of bad fashion choices. Aurelia had buttoned her into a dark purple dress made of some stiff, reflective fabric. She hated it. But she loved Ezriel, and he was worth an uncomfortable night.

She gripped his card in her hand and took a deep breath. It had been crumpled from the weeks since he had given it to her, but it was finally time to try and bring him back. She couldn't be sure what would help him remember, but this was her best chance and she wouldn't shy away from it.

It was finally time for action.

Aurelia was dressed from head to toe in dark clothing, promising to stay as close as she could in case he remembered.

They stopped a few blocks down the street from Ezriel’s loft and waited.

True to his pattern, Ezriel left his building just before sunset. And true to Leviathan’s pattern, he followed at a distance.

Eida felt bile creeping up at the back of her throat, and her vision flashed with a familiar fury that would have been so, _so_ easy to harness. Aurelia’s hand on her arm helped her to focus on their goal, but only barely.

Eventually, Ezriel made his way into a studio of some sort. After an uncomfortable amount of time, Leviathan returned the way he had come, confident that Ezriel was enjoying his semblance of freedom. The sick smirk on the Great Wizard's face proved that he hadn't changed at all. He was still in love with his own games. Still in love with Ezriel.

Eida waited as long as she could stand before making her way to the payphone a few blocks farther down.

She pulled out the heavy black card and dialed the number. She had memorized it already, but it felt comforting to be sure as she pressed the keys.

All there was left to do was wait. The technology here impressed her. Magic was complicated back in her world. It was limitless and limited, relying on components and finite resources that she didn't quite understand. But the mechanical technology here seemed only limited by time and imagination.

She hadn't needed to wait very long before the phone gave off a sudden shrill ring.

“Hello?” She asked, probably too quickly.

“I've been paged from this number,” Ezriel’s voice came through as clear as if he had been standing next to her.

“I'm trying to reach Ezriel? I was told to page this number if I ever got lost.” Eida bit her lip and waited. He would help. Of course he would.

His answering laugh was bewildered and happy. She suddenly felt a little guilty for stealing his only time away from Leviathan. Eida hadn't expected him to sound so free.

“Eida,” he guessed. He had remembered her name. Her heart melted a bit. “Of course. Where are you?”

“Ah,” she stepped back to look at the street signs. “3rd and 24th. I’m trying to get to The Heights, but I haven’t seen any taxis and I’m not sure-”

“-I’m coming.” He interrupted her.

“Wait, what? No, I just need directions to-”

“I’m only a few streets away. Stay there, alright?” His voice sounded so much like Ezriel The Sorcerer that she had to stomp down the hope that he’d somehow managed to remember everything on his own.

“Alright. Thank you.” She was meant to be acting, but it felt so real.

It reminded her of so many battles they had all fought and won together. Eida, always rushing in and taking out most of the offending enemies with swing after swing of her vicious maul. Ezriel, looming behind her, pulling strings and waiting to swoop in and rescue her, decimating their remaining foes with an elegant sweep of his hands. Aurelia, by his side and aiding where she could. Stoga, invisible and everywhere at once, slicing their adversaries to pieces one by one; a deadly shadow. Here he was, rescuing her again, and he didn’t even realize it.

What she wouldn’t give to go back for just one day. One hour, even. She took a deep breath and waited impatiently.

Minutes later, she saw him. He wasn’t running, but he was hurried in his steps. She smiled sheepishly as he approached, but it faded at the concerned expression across his face.

“There you are!” He sounded _very_ worried.

“I didn’t know who else to call.” Eida whispered before clearing her throat. “You didn’t need to-”

“Don’t be foolish,” he cut in. “What are you doing this far out on your own? I thought you’d left town.”

It had been weeks since she’d met him. It was the logical conclusion to make, she supposed.

“I can handle myself,” she immediately bristled. “But...you know, maybe I'm not the best at directions.”

“Foiled by basic geography,” he chuckled, relaxing a bit when he realized that it wasn't some dire situation she'd ended up in.

“I'm not too proud to admit it, either.” She smirked. She had missed his teasing. “Well, I was meant to go to a dinner party,” she gestured to her over-dressed state. “But I think I’ve managed to miss it completely.”

“That is a shame.” He agreed and held out his arm in invitation. “It’s a good thing my evening just cleared up.”

Aurelia had predicted this. _‘Orchestrated, more like,’_ Eida thought as she took Ezriel’s offered arm.

It was hard to pretend. It was harder still to smile at his familiar cadence and laugh at his quips without shaking him by his shoulders and beating the memories back into him by force. He deserved to remember. Even when he had lost himself, he was still a kind and caring and powerful man with the air of a king and the face of a prince.

They were walking down a street that was slowly growing more and more busy as they progressed. There were shops lining either side of the street with their doors wide open. The weather might have been frigid, but the little shops were as warm as a campfire.

“Well,” Edia started. “This is incredible! Do you have a favorite?”

“I do, but I'm a bit curious to see which one you'll like first.” His sly grin was enough to stop her breathing for a second.

“Right, sure.” She smiled and pretended to inspect a few. She hoped Aurelia’s plan would work. Ezriel’s regular ‘dinners with Leviathan on Thursdays’ shop was directly in front of them, and Aurelia's voice echoed in her mind.

_‘Point it out, and then pick the place that looks the least like it. Trust me.’_

“That place looks like it might be good…but honestly I'm hoping for something of an adventure. How about that little stand selling fried...erm. It's anyone's guess what it is really, isn't it?”

The corner of his mouth lifted. Anyone else wouldn't have caught the slight change in his expression, but Eida knew it instantly. That was his ‘let's find a bed right now’ face.

She bit her lip when he didn't answer immediately.

“So...what do you say? Up for something exciting and new? And possibly terrible?”

“I feel as if I've been waiting for ages.” He said after a too-long-to-be-absolutely-sure-what-he-meant pause. “After you?”

Eida smiled and picked up the front of her floor-length party dress. The shimmering taffeta glowed oddly under the streetlights. If they ever made it back _home_ , she would probably miss the frivolity of these universes. Aurelia had scoffed when the saleswoman had pushed it as “the fabric of the decade” and mumbled about the fall of civilization all the way back to their apartment.

Eida stepped up to the little stall and felt her heart break. There had been a vendor much like this one on the outskirts of Lidemauk, the little fishing village near their keep. The family who ran it had sold fried cod and always tried to give The Thorns a meal for free. The Thorns never accepted of course, and always paid several times what the wares were worth, but it had been a small tradition that Eida suddenly missed very much.

“What'll you have, then?” The stall’s cook asked, mirroring the stall from Lidemauk with suspicious accuracy.

In that moment, Eida knew two things for certain and assumed a third: Ezriel was awake, there was no magic in this world, but there must be something very close to it because she could swear that she had _felt_ his energy summoned beside her.

Eida looked up at him hopefully, waiting. It didn't take the sorcerer long to gather his wits before death threats began to fly from his perfect mouth. She was in love all over again.

“I'm going to _kill_ him!” He snarled, looking around furiously until he locked eyes with Eida.

“What?!” The man at the stall stumbled backwards and seemed on the verge of shouting for help. Eida attempted to diffuse his fear and grabbed hold of Ezriel’s hands, pulling him back the way they had come.

“Sorry, not you! Bad day! Thank you for your time!” She called over her shoulder as she hauled Ezriel down the street and away from the chaos of the shops.

“Where did-” he stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose in anger. They were near a dangerous looking alley, but she pulled them into it without a thought. They were probably the most dangerous things in this city anyway.

“Ezriel.” Eida's voice broke when she was finally able to say his name and mean it. “Ezriel!”

He wasn't moving. She huffed and stepped up onto one of the crates lining the alley so that she could look him in the eyes. They weren't completely human in this world, but she'd still kept her short height and now that she was close enough to study his features, she could see the hint of pointed Aasimar ears.

“Ezriel,” she tried again.

He opened his eyes slowly, the barely-contained rage simmering beneath the surface. She didn't blame him. She felt her rage nearby as well, her eyes brimming with frustrated tears.

“It's getting harder to keep them all straight,” he whispered, closing his eyes again.

“I know,” she whispered back. “Just...please hold me?”

He didn't hesitate. Wrapped in his arms, it was almost too easy to let go and forget the horror that was their existence.

Eida broke. She felt it. Something inside of her just couldn't hold on to hope any longer.

Neither of them spoke for the longest time, but she had a job to do.

“We haven't found Stoga yet.” She said softly.

He stiffened against her at what that meant. He would have to pretend not to know - keep pretending to love Leviathan - until they could find their friend. The weight of it hung in the air.

“I'm sorry” she said.

His answer was to tighten his embrace and press a kiss on the top of her head.

“We were meant to wait until we found her,” Eida confessed against his coat. It was easier when she couldn't see his face. “But then I saw how he kept you on such a tight _leash_ and...I had to try and break you out of it. Should I have waited?”

He was silent for a long while before his deep voice rumbled against her cheek.

“Never.” His reply was full of ice and promised a spectacular vengeance.

It didn't matter that they had yet to be thrust into a universe that held magics that they could harness. It didn't matter that they might live through a thousand more until they found what they needed to put Leviathan to rest once and for all. Together, they would never stop trying.

And there were bound to be worlds were even Leviathan would stumble. The last world had been a challenge even for The Great Wizard as the energies hadn't responded to his will without a great deal of struggle. Ezriel and Eida had woken up almost immediately in the same place. A small village of people who looked nothing like anything they’d ever seen and didn’t speak any sort of tongue they could recognize. They had no idea where or when they’d landed, but the locals had helped them build a small house at the edge of their village. They had spent most days searching for friends that, as Eida was told by Aurelia in this new universe, had lived quite happily in a similar village beneath a misty rainforest. It was only after Leviathan discovered Ezriel and Eida’s happy home in the village that his rage had allowed him to send them all to the next world; this one. The Thorns had not found one another in that place, which made her reunion with Aurelia that much sweeter. It now made finding Stoga that much more important to Eida.

This dreary city full of magic-less humans was a disappointment after the freedom Eida had found living in the jungle with Ezriel.

The loss of their life together hung between them.

“Aurelia told me about her home with Stoga there.” Eida said, following his thoughts. When the tension in his shoulders released, she knew it was a welcomed change of subject. “They were happy, and only woke up near the end of it.”

“Did you tell them about the...marriage?” He asked the questions to try to calm him.

“Only Aurelia,” she reminded him. His eyes might have flashed a bright silver but she couldn't be sure. The light reflected in strange ways sometimes. “And I’m not certain that ritual truly counted.” She tried to lighten to mood, but it fell flat.

“All we need is for one of these worlds to mislead him. Just _one_. A taste of magic. A hint of it...and I will gladly squeeze the life from his lungs myself.”

Eida felt her heart swell. It wasn't often that Ezriel had ever shown such lethal aggression, but when he did, it was always deserved, and it was always glorious.

She felt the flush of passion spread up across her neck in response. He must have noticed the change in the air because seconds later he had her pressed against the brick wall of the alleyway, taking what he wanted and giving everything in return.

His hands were everywhere; through her hair and around her neck, down the front of her dress and around her waist, touching her as much as she was touching him. A frustrated growl ripped through his chest at their circumstance. His mouth moved from her lips to her neck and she had to bite her lip to keep from making any noise. He knew exactly how to touch her to get the reactions he wanted. Eida cursed the time they’d wasted back in their world. Always being polite and comfortable and courteous but neither making any real move.

She laughed when he pulled up the hem of her outrageous dress. It was freezing and starting to snow, but what bothered them most was how loud the shimmering fabric was when it moved.

Ezriel was composed in most circumstances, but following his instincts in bed was not one of those times. He followed his passion wherever it might lead, which made every encounter that much more exhilarating. Today, it seemed that he was angry. Not at her, she knew, as he’d never touched her when he was truly angry at something she’d done. No, Ezriel the Sorcerer was furious with being kept on a leash. He was determined to prove to himself that he was able to take control. To be in control.

Eida was more than willing to let him. She couldn't save Ezriel from Leviathan, but she could reassure him that he was still himself.

She wanted to tell him what to do to, and it took every ounce of willpower _not_ to tell him where his mouth should go next. But she would not. He deserved his freedom.

“Please,” she panted into his soft, white hair. “I don't care where we are.”

He lifted his head from its exploration of her neck and smirked. It fell from his face after a moment, however, and he looked at her with an expression she knew all too well: ‘goodbye.’

If he didn’t think he would ever escape, then she would give him something to remember. She would save him in time, but for now, this was all she had.

Eida surprised herself at how much she needed him. It felt like a physical hole in her chest.

Eida wanted to cry. Instead, she held onto him, frozen in the moment, unwilling to move on just yet.

Kiss after kiss, she showed him just how much she had missed him. When the snow began to fall heavier around them, she shivered, annoyed at the weather. At this place. Most of all, she was annoyed that Ezriel would choose to go back to that monster until she and Aurelia could find Stoga.

But he would be right, and they would have a greater chance of catching Leviathan off guard if The Fury of Thorns was working together.

“I have to go, darling” he said, breaking the silence with a whisper of aggravation. He used her favorite endearment, and at her whimper of frustration, he continued. “I am glad to be awake. Having a choice makes this easier. I will keep him... _distracted_.” He spit the word as it came from his lips.

“Ezriel…”

“Call me again only when you’re prepared to fight. I’m not certain that he has magic here, and I can’t gamble that he’ll not notice if we meet another night.” He kissed her, pouring his anger and fury and pain into this one last gesture, knowing that she could take it. Knowing that she would appreciate the ferocity when not many others would.

“I see you,” she finally said, touching her forehead to his and locking eyes with him. He wasn’t broken, and he wouldn’t be. She didn’t think he ever could be. He was unyielding in ways that she wasn’t sure she could be.

“I see you,” he returned the endearment, but lingered for several moments too long.

Neither of them wanted to leave, but she knew that if Ezriel didn’t return to the Leviathan, the Great Wizard would know that something had changed. He knew it too, and after steeling himself for the show he would need to put on for the evening, turned and left without another word.

Eida watched him walk off back the way they had come, his coat billowing ominously in the wind before he disappeared around the corner.

After she was sure he had gone, she sank to the ground. This was all too much. She wasn’t strong this way.

“H-hey, miss?” The question caught Eida by surprise. It was the vendor from earlier and he was peeking into they alley. He looked worried. “Are you...did that guy hurt you?”

She did her best to look calm and collected as she stood, grabbing her coat from where she’d dropped it, pulling it over her now-ravaged party dress.

“No, he did not.” Eida looked the man in the eyes and hoped he wouldn’t remember her face.

The man didn’t look convinced.

“Have a good night,” Eida said. She pulled the oversized coat tighter and smiled at the man before walking away.

She hoped nothing would come of it, but her instincts were screaming that being seen with Ezriel, even by strangers, had been too much of a gamble. She’d made a mistake this night. She hoped it wouldn't come back to haunt her.

Or worse, she thought as a sense of dread trickled down her spine, that _he_ wouldn't hurt Ezriel.

\-------

Aurelia sighed from the kitchen as she crossed off another corner from their map. It was hanging haphazardly on the fridge, held in place by assorted magnets from fast food joints and junk mail.

Tomorrow would mark four long years since they had begun their search, and Eida was feeling worse and worse about waking Ezriel before she had needed to. Every night, she went to bed imagining the horrors that Ezriel was surely facing at the hands of Leviathan. Day in and day out of pretending _not_ to completely detest someone would drive her mad. Ezriel was smarter than her, though, and he'd probably found a way to make it bearable.

At least, that's what she told herself to sleep at night.

“Alright, enough moping.” Aurelia announced. “I can hear yours tears from here.”

“But I'm not crying-”

“Don't interrupt me.” Aurelia snapped. “I'm making an official announcement.”

“Oh, do tell!” Eida smirked and mocked a courtly bow.

“Quite.” Aurelia nodded regally and continued. “I believe it is time to move.”

“What?! How-”

“This town isn't very big. We have covered every street downtown and staked out every apartment complex. Thanks to your dog-walking, I've ruled out that she lives in any of these houses, here.” She gestured to the other corner of the map. “There isn't much left to search.”

Eida took a slow, shaky breath. “We don't know for sure that she isn't here.”

Aurelia gestured to the map. “Where else do you suggest, then?”

It did seem pointless to stay here any longer. Nearly every cross section had been marked out with red pens. All that remained were a few rural areas.

But Eida was desperate.

“Stop! Just wait. We haven't looked into any criminals. Or...high-society.” Eida was reaching.

“Eida.”

Eida sat down on their sagging living room couch and put her head in her hands.

“I can't leave him, Rells.” Eida said.

“Firstly, I hate nicknames.” Aurelia moved to sit next to Eida. “Secondly, you're right. You can't leave. Not without telling him.”

“Wait, what?” Eida's head shot up.

“It's been four years and he's been awake with Leviathan all this time.” Aurelia explained. “He may know more than we do. You'll need to speak to him before we go anywhere.”

The weight of it hung in the air.

“Do you think Tuesdays are still…” Eida stood as she realized that today was already Tuesday.

“The last thing you'd agreed on was meeting when we were ready to fight. He wouldn't have changed a single pattern if there was a chance we could all put an end to this.” Aurelia said.

“I have to go!” Eida said as she hurried to her bedroom. The clock on her dresser glowed a steady red. It was nearly sunset, which meant Ezriel would already be off to wherever it was he was going.

Eida didn't want to take any chances. She would go back to that same payphone and- no, she cut the thought short. Ezriel could have explained away the one-time call from a strange number. He wouldn't be able to explain away another. Leviathan would be expecting it.

Fuck. She needed a new plan. And a change of clothes, she thought absently as she caught her reflection in her mirror.

“Here,” Aurelia said from the doorway. She was holding a napkin in one hand and a clothes hanger in the other.

“What's that?” Eida asked.

“This is a map to another payphone we will use.” Aurelia placed the napkin on Eida's dresser as she waltzed into the room. “It's not too far from the one you used before, but it's in another district. He won't suspect.”

Eida picked it up, trying to memorize it.

“And this is for you to wear.” Aurelia laid the clothes on Eida’s bed. “It's the artsy side of town and we don't want to draw attention.”

Eida looked down at what she was wearing and mock scowled at Aurelia.

“Snob.”

“Always, dear. Now hurry up and change. ‘Comfortable’ isn't a trend and he's waited long enough.”

Aurelia closed the door on her way out.

The clothes were exactly the sort of thing Aurelia would buy, which meant they were sure to make Eida look “cute.”

_Ugh._

There wasn't time to protest, something Aurelia had obviously planned, so Eida tossed the clothes on and bolted out of the door, barely waiting for Aurelia to follow.

Eida hoped for a miracle with every step, praying to gods that couldn't hear them and wishing on every star that peeked into the sky as the sun set.

They made it to the payphone in record time, but Eida paused, her hand hovering just in front of her.

“I know.” Aurelia said in a whisper.

Aurelia shoved her loose change into the coin slot and stepped back.

Eida swallowed the lump in her throat and picked the phone up slowly. Bringing it to her ear, she carefully pressed the loud metallic buttons until she heard the dial tone.

Now, there was nothing left to do but wait. Eida hated this. She had been doing nothing but waiting for years now. A few more minutes shouldn't have mattered, but these particular minutes felt like eons.

Finally, the phone rang. After so much waiting, Eida found it strange that she hesitated before answering.

“Hello?” Eida asked, her voice smaller than she expected.

“It's me” Ezriel huffed into the phone. He sounded out of breath.

“I know,” Eida said, willing her voice not to crack. “We have to try somewhere else. We're leaving-”

“NO!” His voice interrupted. “I've found her! But-”

“What?! He's found her! You've found her? How? Where is she-” Eida spoke to Aurelia and Ezriel at once, not able to concentrate on the weight of what would have happened if she hadn’t called before they left.

“Meet me at the corner we first met in the morning. I can't make it tonight without questions. It'll be too late.”

He sounded sad.

“Alright. We'll see you tomorrow.”

He didn't answer her before he ended the call with a loud _click_.

She slammed the heavy phone back into its holder.

As soon as Aurelia's hand touched her shoulder, Eida flinched. Eida never flinched. Not in the face of that horrible wight, not in front of that army of bellowing hellbeasts, and certainly not because of Leviathan. But this…

This was different.

They might be able to finally put an end to this madness. Ezriel hadn't known if Leviathan had access to magic here, but it was a chance. If they could end the Great Wizard before he could retaliate…

Eida turned and headed to turn the corner. They would prepare in any case. They might be swept away in a wave of spells before they could win their freedom. They might not. There was no way to know.

Aurelia quickened her pace to match Eida’s.

This was a shadowed route back home, but as usual, they walked in the confidence that they were the most dangerous things in the dark.

Eida’s blood ran hot. She hoped some idiot would get in her way. It would feel so nice to spill the blood of her enemies again.

But Ezriel had found Stoga! She hadn't seen the woman in years now, and Eida could barely contain her feelings now.

“Tell me,” Aurelia murmured beside her.

Eida nearly missed a step when she rolled her eyes too hard. This had been a familiar way to calm her down when she became too agitated. It had worked back home, and now Eida felt like all it did was rub salt into her wounds. But she also knew that Aurelia wouldn't stop until she answered.

“I mean it. You need a clear head for whatever this will be.” Aurelia's lips had barely moved as she walked in time with Eida.

“Fine!” Eida hissed. “Angry.”

“Because…?” Aurelia nudged her.

“Angry. Because _he_ is selfish enough to bend the universe to his sick will.”

“Of course. And?” Aurelia said, her tone becoming distant.

“Hurt. Because I don't know how long he's wanted to tell us about Stoga.” Eida felt tears sting at the corners of her eyes, but she continued. “Confused. Because I don't know what god I pissed off to deserve this. Heartbroken. Because-”

But she couldn't finish the thought and she felt a lump forming in her throat.

“You can tell me,” Aurelia said. The taller woman looped her arm through Eida’s.

“I love them both.”

And that was it. The truth she hadn't wanted to share with anyone. She loved Ezriel. And she loved Stoga. At the same time.

“As do I. But I assume you meant something else entirely.” Aurelia laughed, light and quick. “One day, we'll end him, and you can muddle through your emotions in your large mansion surrounded by dozens of servants.”

“I think that last part might be what _you_ are wishing for.” Eida teased.

“Don't pretend you wouldn't love a normal life again,” Aurelia said. She'd probably meant to make a joke to lighten the situation, but the truth was that to the Lady of Stillwater, a sprawling estate housing dozens and dozens of servant and tenants and villages _had_ been normal. And in the blink of an eye, or in their case, in a blinding flash of a swirling portal, she had lost it all.

The rest of their walk was silent. It began to rain just as they turned onto their street, and Eida hoped that wasn't some sinister sign.

Their little apartment was cold. The heat had gone out again, but Eida didn’t mind. She arranged several blocks of wood in their small fireplace and lit it. How many times had they made camp like this in the earliest days of their adventures? Aurelia must have read Eida’s mind because a few minutes later, the woman was carrying all of their bedding into the living room.

Eida hadn’t expected to sleep very much, but the constant crackling of the fire, the comfort of Aurelia nearby, and the promise of their little family back together again lead to the most restful sleep she’d had in ages.

The shrill beeping from the bedside alarm woke them suddenly. Eida’s hand went underneath her pillow, but she’d stopped sheathing kitchen knives there years ago, and her hand only brushed the chilled fabric underneath.

The sun wouldn’t rise for another hour, but the women weren’t going to take any chances. Eida dressed as warmly as she could before slipping her dagger into her boot. It wasn’t a great quality weapon, but it would do the job.

She didn’t really believe it, but she hoped that thinking about the possibility might somehow turn fate to their favor. A small chance was still a chance, after all.

Aurelia nodded as she opened their front door. It might be the last time they see this world, but they would still lock up. Nothing was certain anymore.

Eida looped her arm through Aurelia’s and nodded back.

The walk was completely silent, and they found themselves muffling each step as best they could, but it had snowed overnight, and the crackling of the ice echoed. The unsettling calm should have been beautiful. The yellow street lamps should have been romantic. The fading moonlight should have given them the hope that new days are meant to give.

All they felt was dread.

When they made it to the street corner Ezriel had picked, they sat together on a bench across the street. Eida rested her head on Aurelia’s shoulder and tried to quiet the unease that had begun to crawl its way into her chest.

The sun rose, and more than one person shuffled and huffed at the space the two women were taking on the bench, but their busses arrived and left again and again, and the two women never moved.

Midday came and went, and still they sat.

Neither spoke, but the pages of their magazines turned steadily, usually with a gentle nudge from Aurelia that it was time to keep up their ruse.

A throat cleared next to them, and while Eida turned immediately, Aurelia simply raised one eyebrow and hummed to acknowledge the interruption. She never looked over.

“So sorry to bother, but ya’ll have been sitting here all day.” It was a woman. A stranger.

No, not a stranger. She worked at a boutique that sold accessories. Eida recognized her after a moment. She wasn’t in her regular uniform, but she was still wearing a bright array of geometric jewelry.

“Yes,” Eida said. She didn’t offer anything else, and the woman began to fidget.

“Okay,” She gripped her bag’s shoulder strap with both hands and sat down next to Eida, not quite touching her leg, but _almost_.

Eida narrowed her eyes while the woman began to explain herself.

“You see, uhm, I've seen you around here a lot,” she sputtered and started over. “Not that I've been watching you, but, you know, I happen to have seen you more than, well, other people-”

“Do get to the point, dear,” Aurelia interrupted without looking up from her magazine.

“Right. I want to take you to dinner.” The woman looked at Eida and held her breath.

Eida realized that she had also held her breath.

“I...don't know what to say?” Eida was taken completely off guard. They had never tried to integrate into the worlds before. They had made acquaintances and made polite conversation, but getting attached was dangerous.

“Oh, just say yes?” The woman grabbed Eida's hand after a moment of hesitation and began to talk rapidly. “I still remember the first time that I saw you. A perfect stranger looking for something on the ground. You should have been angry at the man who interrupted you, but you weren't. You helped him instead. And you walked this way every day for weeks, always so sure of where you were going. And then I only saw you once every few weeks. And then once every few months. And I never got up the courage to say hi, and then I didn't see you for over a year...but now, here you are, and I'm tired of being a coward.”

Aurelia saved her by gently removing Eida’s hands from the stranger’s.

“I'm afraid she's spoken for, dear. You have a good day.” Aurelia had finally looked up from her magazine and gave the woman a polite, dismissive smile and looked back down.

“You'll find someone, surely.” Eida said. Maybe it would soften the blow. “Don't wait next time. Life is too short.”

“Right. Of course, sorry, I don’t know why I thought, ah, yes, well, have a good day - er, evening? Afternoon! Yes, see you...around.”

And the woman left as quickly as she had arrived.

“Wow.” Eida said.

“Flattering.” Aurelia teased.

“I don't know about that, but it puts a lot into perspective.” Eida sighed.

“That it does.” Aurelia agreed.

This strange woman would go about her days working and striving for more. She would find someone, grow old, and would probably die surrounded by family.

All around them, people were living and breathing and free. And until they put an end to this vicious cycle, they would watch on the sidelines. It was still too early to tell if they were aging or not, but suddenly Eida felt as if a massive hourglass was above her head, slowly running out of time.

Aurelia must have felt it as well, but aside from a longer-than-usual sigh, gave no outward sign that she was going through any sort of an existential crisis.

When Aurelia stiffened beside her, Eida prepared herself.

“Follow me,” an achingly familiar voice whispered as a shadow passed behind their bench.

Aurelia stood first, but Eida quickly closed the distance as they attempted to stagger their formation.

Eida followed perhaps a little too closely in the wake of their rogue. Stoga - she had to be - was nearly unrecognizable. The woman she was following hadn't bathed in weeks, and probably hadn't washed her clothes for longer.

They weaved behind her in and out of alleys and cross streets and through a surprisingly busy market before finally coming to a stop behind an abandoned shopping center. Eida recognized it - she assumed Aurelia would too - they’d been here a year ago, but it had looked very different. This had been a flower shop. She wasn’t sure why she’d remembered that, but she didn’t have time to consider it before the woman - no, this wasn’t their Stoga - turned to face them suddenly.

“Alright, I did it.” She was staring at them with a sort of viciousness that didn’t sit well on her features.

“I’m sorry, you’ve done what?” Aurelia asked, immediately looking up towards the rooftops nearby while Eida spun around to face the entrance to the alleyway. They knew a trap when they saw one.

But there was nothing there, and there was no ambush waiting on the roofs. The woman was still looking at them, only now she looked impatient verging on angry. What had Ezriel told her?

Eida could feel her hopes sinking.

“What?” The woman who looked like Stoga asked. “He told me to find the two ladies that look like you, and bring them here, and not to be seen, and here I am, and now you pay me. That was our deal!” She held out a hand, the movement so quick that it startled Eida.

“Of course,” Aurelia said. She relaxed her stance, although Eida knew that Aurelia was anything but relaxed at this moment.

Eida took a breathe as Aurelia opened her clutch and pulled out everything that they had saved. It wasn’t much, and Eida wouldn’t have minded giving it to Stoga, but this woman was not Stoga.

“What else did he say,” Eida stepped in front of Aurelia.

“No tricks!” The woman spat. “He said you would pay me, so pay me!”

“And we were told that you would help us pull off a huge run, but you…” Eida hoped she could still pull off a believable lie as she looked the woman up and down slowly for dramatic effect. “You don’t look like you could entice anyone, much less get close enough for us to swipe it.”

Aurelia picked up on the slapdash plan and added to it.

“They’d smell you from a mile away,” Aurelia huffed and snapped her purse shut.

“Wait! Wait, okay?” The woman licked her lips and shifted from foot to foot. “Just, wait. Let me think? Yes.”

“I don’t have time to wait for you to think, dear. I have _work_ to do, and I’d rather clean out this town with someone who can handle a job like this.”

Aurelia was terrifying, Eida decided. The woman who looked like Stoga scrambled to salvage the chance for money.

“I can! Okay? I can. What do you need? Huh? I can do all sorts of things, okay?” The woman took a step forward before hesitating.

“Come on, let’s give her a chance.” Eida played along and pretended to be on the woman’s side. Good cop, bad cop was her favorite game. She didn’t get to be the ‘good cop’ very often. “I’m sure she cleans up nice.”

“Yes! I can clean up nice, I can, okay?” the woman said.

“Fine.” Aurelia said, and tilted her head to a dark corner.

Eida took a second too long to follow Aurelia’s train of thought before realizing they would have been coming to this alleyway for some “job-related” reason.

“Right, sorry, boss.” Eida said. She tried her best to hold in a snicker as she went to read some imaginary graffiti on the wall. “Got it. We can go.”

The woman looked at them with wide eyes and looked back at the graffiti as if she could decipher it too.

The walk back was slow, but it could have taken another four years and Eida wouldn’t have complained. They found Stoga! She wasn’t Stoga yet, but they were together and she would come back to them soon. Eida’s relief was powerful, and Aurelia seemed to be thinking along the same lines, smiling as she coasted along the sidewalk.  

When they finally entered the apartment, Stoga hesitated at the entrance.

“How do you know him?” Stoga asked.

“He helped me kill someone once,” Aurelia said. She took off her coat and hung it on the hooks near the door. “I owed him a favor, and giving you this chance means we will finally be even.”

Aurelia squared off against Stoga, an intimidation tactic that Eida had seen countless times before. She'd missed this, but it hurt that Stoga was on the other side of Aurelia’s famous glare.

“So,” Aurelia continued. “Why, of all the people he probably knows, did your name come up when I told him about this job.”

Stoga stepped inside and closed the door. Eida had to admit that of she hadn't recognized a spur-of-the-moment bluff, she would probably also be nervous right now.

“I...I don't know.” Stoga swallowed and spoke a little quieter. “I didn't even know there was _a job_. He told me to lead you to that alley and that you'd give me $200 if I did.” She looked even more unsure than before.

What had she gone through to get here? To have this reaction in a conversation about casual murder and favors owed didn't bode well. Eida swallowed hard to try and keep her emotions in check.

“Typical,” Aurelia huffed and reached for her wallet. “Fine, here's your money, but you're in this now. Take a shower and get cleaned up as best you can. We will fill you in when you’re done.”

Stoga looked between them and nodded after a moment. Eida nodded back and showed Stoga the bathroom.

Stoga stopped to check the lock on the door, and Eida pretended not to notice the way Stoga’s shoulders slumped with relief when she found that it clicked into place easily.

Eida closed her eyes and tried to compose herself before joining Aurelia in the kitchen.

They waited until the water started running to talk.

“Aurelia, what the fuck!” Eida hissed. Her composure was gone, and later, she might wonder why she'd tried to lie to herself about keeping it in the first place.

“I know!” Aurelia let out a tense breath and put her head in her hands. “I don't have a plan.”

“Shit.”

“Alright, we will get her changed. We can go to some bar, be on the lookout for...I don't know, some convincing mark. And pretend he didn't show and that we have to wait another month.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“What do you propose then?” Aurelia pushed a hand through her hair. Eida snorted when it still looked perfect afterwards.

“I propose we actually pull something off.” Eida said. Stoga might not be herself, but this woman was probably more crafty than she looked. “We can make some real money and maybe it'll kick off a memory for her. She used to do this sort of thing all the time.”

“You know this probably won't work.” Aurelia sighed. After a few moments, however, she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don't see an alternative.”

“We don't have to go through with it, but we have to try something. We can't let her live on the streets.” Eida said and headed towards her bedroom. “I'm going to find something for her to wear.”

By the time Stoga opened the door after her bath, Aurelia had come up with a plan. It wasn't her best work, but it would be convincing, and that's all they could hope for.

“Here.” Eida said as she held out the stack of clothes, trying very hard not to notice that Stoga was only wrapped in a towel.

“What's this?” Stoga asked. She took it and closed the door, locking it.

“Does it matter?” Eida shot back through the door. She tried to be cold, but it was hard. She needed Stoga to remember like she'd needed Ezriel to remember.

“Guess not.” Stoga’s disinterested voice responded.

A few minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom. Her hair was still wet and it had grown a lot longer than Stoga usually kept it.

“What?” Stoga asked. She was on the defensive, clearly.

Eida sighed. This had all gone to shit so quickly.

“Nothing,” Eida said. She tried to smile but she knew it wasn't going to be believable, and she shouldn't have been surprised when Stoga - even without her memories - tried to help.

Stoga shifted nervously and came to a sudden decision.

“Help me dry it.” Stoga said. She stepped back into the bathroom and waited for Eida to follow before closing the door.

Stoga turned the water on and dropped her timid demeanor.

“What does that bitch have on you?” Stoga whispered.

Eida was too conflicted to answer. This terrible ruse of theirs had gone too far. She and Aurelia should never have tried to trick the cleverest Fury.

“If you tell me, I can help you get out of whatever this is.” Stoga said. She was leaning in too close. Eida could smell her. Exactly how she remembered.

“I can't tell you.” Eida said. “You wouldn't believe it anyway.”

It was better to let Stoga think that Eida had to be here for some dangerous reason. She hated this plan, and she looked at her reflection in the small round mirror to stop herself from giving up and confessing everything.

Eida knew that ‘you're actually a gnome from another dimension and we've known each other for several decades’ probably wouldn't go over very well.

And so she said nothing.

“Well do something useful and fix my hair. I won't help if I look like I've been homeless forever.” Stoga sat on the closed toilet seat and waited for Eida to help.

“How long have you been living like this?” Eida asked. She reached under the counter and pulled out the hair dryer and a huge round brush.

“Oh a long time now, since...well, years I guess.” Stoga started off confidently but wavered. Leviathan’s spell made her unsure.

That's how she could bring Stoga back, Eida realized. Ezriel _felt_ , Eida _fought_ , Aurelia usually _saw_ , but no one was sure how Stoga might remember from universe to universe. It was always different.

But this time, Eida just sort of knew that if she could poke enough holes in the spell’s story, Stoga would wake up. Stoga could not have lived at least four years out in the open without questioning every detail of her life.

“It must have been hard to lose your home.” Eida said. She didn't give Stoga time to answer. Instead, Eida switched on the impossibly loud machine and got to work, counting on Stoga to over-analyze her situation.

Eida brushed and dried Stoga’s hair. And if she were honest, would have admitted that she was finding every excuse to run her fingers through the strands. But she wasn't being honest, and it was definitely necessary to comb through every single bit of her former lover’s hair.

“There, that should do it.” Eida announced. She stepped back and let Stoga look at herself in the mirror.

“I miss the dirt.” Stoga joked. She ran her hands through her hair and looked at the ends. They were hanging well past her waist.

“How long did this take you?” Eida asked. It looked like it had taken years.

“A...while?” Stoga sounded unsure.

“Would you want to cut it?” Eida prodded further.

“I don't remember the last time…” Stoga trailed off and looked confused again. “Yes. Sure.”

“Great. Let's go to the kitchen.” Eida said. She was nervous. Stoga made her nervous.

The kitchen was small but functional. The yellow pan Eida had scratched years ago leaned against the dish rack like some kind of cosmic joke.

Eida grabbed a chair from their makeshift dining room and pulled it into the kitchen.

“Here.” Eida said. “Sit.”

Aurelia turned to watch them from the couch before curiosity got the best of her.

“What are you doing?” Aurelia asked.

“Cutting her hair.” Eida answered. “It'll stand out if we need her on the job.”

Stoga draped her long brown hair over the back of the chair as she sat down. Eida and Aurelia immediately spotted the nervous expression that passed over Stoga’s features.

“Let me do it, at least.” Aurelia stood and came over. “I'm better at it than you are anyway.”

Eida noticed when Stoga held her breath.

And after lengths of hair began to fall to the floor after each metallic _snip!_ of the scissors, Eida saw what Aurelia had been hiding for years.

Tears had started to trail down Aurelia’s face. So many feelings were bursting to the surface; the relief at being together again, the hope that maybe this time, they would put their lives back to rights.

And suddenly, Eida felt like an intruder. She hadn't seen them in the last universe. Whatever Aurelia had shared with Stoga was clearly very strong.

Eida cleared her throat and motioned towards the door.

“I'm going to pick up something for dinner.” Eida said. As she turned to leave, she pretended not to see Aurelia furiously wiping away tears.

She pulled on her heavy coat and grabbed her keys off their ring before shutting the door behind her.

What _was_ this? All of this heartbreak and uncertainty had to have some purpose. It couldn't just be all for Leviathan to keep Ezriel as a pet. That was…insane.

Leviathan couldn't have lived this long only to become obsessed with a single soul. Ezriel must have discovered more by now. There had to be an end.

Eida took the long way to their favorite sandwich shop. Although the meals couldn't really be called sandwiches as they were all served in salad bowls.

But it was cheap, and that's really all she could ask for.

The little bell dinged her arrival, and after a bit of small talk with the cashier, Eida sat at a nearby booth to wait. It felt like the meal before a fight.

Stoga would be pacing in front of their fireplace, her short boots echoing across the halls of their keep. She would be arguing tactics with Aurelia, who would be lounging elegantly across her favorite settee.

Ezriel would be one of two places; a hand on their mantlepiece and staring intently into the flames, or leaning against the largest windowsill and gazing up at the stars. He might chime in a time or two, but otherwise would agree to whatever strategies Stoga and Aurelia eventually agreed on.

Eida would be polishing some equipment to keep her hands busy, not caring much for plans. She'd wait for direction and go where they needed. After so many battles fought and missions completed, there came a point when strategy was a collection of “that one maneuver from that fight” and “the second job for this person.”

And then the doors to their meeting hall would burst open, the kitchens sending up an incredible feast, and their evening would continue.

Eida wondered what their servants had done when The Fury of Thorns hadn't returned.

The bell on the counter of the shop dinged loudly. The food hadn't taken as long as Eida had hoped.

But when she stepped outside, she realized that the sun was setting...and that she was only putting off the inevitable.

The snow had begun to fall. In any other lifetime, it might have been poetic. Now, it just felt like another thing oppressing them in a race against time.

Or, the absence of time? She didn’t know which truth was more frightening.

She stomped her boots loudly outside of the apartment, shaking off the mud and snow but more to announce that she was back. It was going to be so hard, doing this all over again. Part of her didn’t want to go in.

Eida didn’t have much time to think about it because as soon as she reached out to put her key in the door, it swung wide open.

“You’re back!” Stoga pulled Eida in and smothered her in a hug.

“What the-?” Eida only managed the beginning of a word before Stoga’s strong arms wrapped around her neck.

“ _I’m_ back!” Stoga exclaimed. She was crying.

“How…?” Eida could already feel the tears falling. She’d been holding them in all day, but holding in her emotions wasn’t something that she could do anymore. Maybe back in their world, or in the face of their enemy, but not here. Not after all of this.

Eida heard the door shut behind them, but she was sure this was a dream.

Years. It had been years now since she had lived with Stoga in that little apartment. They had been so happy. And clearly, it was the last thing Stoga had felt towards Eida because the next thing Eida knew, she was being kissed.

It wasn’t the gentle caress of soft lips against her own; Stoga _needed_ her. Pent up rage and passion and sorrow had collided in a fury of pain and Stoga couldn’t help herself. It was heartbreaking and exhilarating all at once.

Aurelia cleared her throat and said something about taking a long shower, her musical laughter following down the hall.

Eida felt like she should interrupt the moment. There was a lot to catch up on - her pagan marriage to Ezriel, mostly - but after a few more earnest kisses from Stoga, she didn’t want to. Not yet.

“I’ve missed you,” Eida spoke between kisses.

“Mmm, shut up,” Stoga shot back. “No talking.”

Eida didn’t need to be told twice. She led Stoga back to her room and kicked the door closed behind them. She took off her heavy coat and made a frustrated sound at the endless layers she’d put on in the morning.

Stoga mirrored her frustration and swiftly began to undress them both. Eida still realized that she was hesitating.

“What?” Stoga asked, kissing a trail down the side of Eida’s neck.

“I think I’m married.” Eida said.

Stoga stopped but didn’t move away.

“I think I’m married to Ezriel.” Eida continued. “The last...place. Some pagan ritual in the middle of a rainforest. We were together for...I don’t know how long. I think-”

“Babe.” Stoga interrupted and put a firm hand on Eida’s shoulder and waiting for Eida to meet her eyes.

“I don’t know how to feel about any of it.” Eida whispered.

“If you think I mind sharing, you’re wrong.” Stoga said.

Eida couldn't do anything but stare. She'd expected some sort of backlash.

“Look. This is uncharted territory.” Stoga stepped back and sat on the bed, patting the space next to her. When Eida sat down, Stoga continued.

“There might not actually be an end to this ridiculous trail of spells. I don't think Leviathan has a plan. At this point, he might not even have an end game. We didn't die like he expected and it doesn't do anyone any good to dwell on the past. And if we faced him now, he'd have us dead in an instant.”

Eida looked at her hands. They weren't calloused anymore. She hadn't wielded a weapon in years. Stoga was right.

“I've spent the past...half a decade now, I guess,” Eida stopped and let out a frustrated sigh and stood again, unable to keep from pacing. “I kept thinking we could take him down as soon as we were together again. But, you're right. We need a plan. And it might take a lot longer to pull off. I doubt I could do any serious damage right now.”

“Tell you what,” Stoga said. She stood to join Eida and took her hands, squeezing them lightly. “We will talk with Aurelia. We will make a plan; a _real_ plan. It might take a few more worlds until we find one that works. But, until then…”

Stoga pushed Eida’s hair behind her ear. Eida felt her heart skip a beat at the unexpected touch.

“We are going to make the most of our time together. It doesn't matter who we are with, as long as we don't lose heart. We are a team. We support each other. And we love each other.”

Stoga leaned in closer.

“So, let me love you today. And let Ezriel love you tomorrow. We will only get through this if we all stay together.”

Eida took a deep breath. This wasn't what she was expecting, but she suddenly realized just how right Stoga was.

And for the first time in a long time, Eida felt a small flicker of hope. She smiled slowly, unsure of what to do with this new feeling.

“We will figure it out, yeah?” Stoga said. “But, in the meantime…”

And after that, she didn't need to use her words.

 --------

They were ready. Their plan was simple: get Ezriel out without Leviathan realizing that they were all awake. They couldn't be sure how his spells worked, especially in this world where Aurelia’s goddess was silent. But perhaps if Leviathan thought he wouldn't need to sweep away their memories again, they might have a fighting chance. 

It would mean no goodbyes.

Eida had struggled with that part of the plan, but if it could save Ezriel once and for all, she would do it.

It took another month to plan.

Eida found a job in the center of town easily. She'd gone back to see that same woman from the accessory shop and soon had a new routine that took her down the city’s main street four times a day.

Stoga found a job at Aurelia’s favorite cafe, although Eida wasn't sure what cards Aurelia had played to pull that off. Soon, Eida’s walk crossed Stoga’s, and they became friends as their alternate selves.

Aurelia quickly found work as the receptionist to a fancy looking company and made more money than they had thought possible. After working small jobs here and there to allow for their constant searching, it was almost tempting to settle in and accept their fate. Almost.

Soon, Aurelia joined them every day at the cafe. They talked loudly about frivolous things and laughed even louder. They carried on this way for weeks.

In the days, they made friends and connections. In the nights, they went out and found even more. After a surprisingly short time, they were invited nearly everywhere. Aurelia’s gift of charm and Stoga’s uncanny ability to make literally everyone fall in love with her were put to good use. Game nights turned into dinner parties turned into weekend getaways with dozens of strangers and eventually, it worked.

Aurelia was invited to a small gala being held by a rival company, and through their vast network of friends, Stoga and Eida were invited in turn. They couldn’t be sure that Leviathan would surface, but they were fairly certain that he was meant to be there. He hadn’t plastered his name anywhere obvious, but he had always craved power and they didn’t think he would have settled for a life anywhere lower.

It was going to be one hell of a party. There was a theme and everything, according to Aurelia.

They’d gone out of their way to make their ruse as believable as possible. Eida had even cut off her hair in a style that the decade would have loved. Leviathan needed to think that his spell had held, but at the same time, would need to think that it was time to move.

Eida leaned on the bathroom sink watching the water run into the drain. The noise helped her think.

They were taking a calculated risk, something that Eida had never been very great with. What if they could kill him easier here, without magic? Then again, what if he had found a way to access it and made their lives hundreds of times worse? Was she really afraid of being in a bad situation if it meant they would have a fighting chance? No, but she was afraid that Leviathan would take it all out on Ezriel. 

It was time. She turned off the faucet and looked at her reflection. Heavy makeup and a form-fitting gown would make her a spectacle.

When she joined Stoga and Aurelia in their living room, she had to remember how to breathe. Aurelia looked like a goddess and could have been carved from stone with how perfectly she stood leaning against the kitchen counter. Stoga, however, was dripping with pearls, and all Eida wanted to do was take them off again.

The theme was something clever, but Aurelia said it just meant they should all wear white.

Aurelia’s company had arranged for a car to pick them up, and it all felt very surreal. The year was different. The city was different. The dresses were unbelievable and the foods and drink would be dizzying.

At the core of it all, though, it was predictable. People simply wanted to see and be seen - a concept that clearly transcended worlds.  
  
In floor-length gowns and borrowed jewelry, they made their way to the city’s most lavish ballroom, fully expecting never to return to their small apartment. It hadn’t held much more than memories, but for a time it had been home.  

The ride to the gala was silent, each of the remaining Thorns watching this strange city pass by the windows of the car. They would need to put on a show, and they were nervous. It felt like the strange calm before a fight. Eida couldn’t remember the last time she had tried to defeat an enemy using only her words.

The hotel wasn't very spectacular; it wasn't even the tallest building in the city. What made it imposing was the two thin banners that had been draped on either side of the entrance from the top of the building. Stark white with gold trim, the banners had been embroidered with Leviathan’s sigil.

This gala Aurelia had been invited to was some grand publicity stunt for the company, and it made Eida’s stomach turn.

“What company was this for again?” Eida asked quietly as they stepped out of the car.

“I thought…” Aurelia huffed and smiled, forgetting her ruse for a moment. The shock of it had thrown them all. She adopted her clueless personality in an instant and flashed them all a brilliant smile. “What's so special about this place! It's just another party, right girls?”

“Point me to the bar!” Stoga said. She winked at the chauffeur who was holding the car door open for her.

“Oh, you!” Eida laughed and smiled at him. “Always _sooo_ serious! Don't wait up!”

There was already a large crowd of people near the door. Apparently, it had been invitation-only, and not a few people hadn’t realized. But their names were on an expensive looking list, and they were allowed to enter through the white silk curtains covering the entrance.

Eida stopped as soon as she passed through. This was _not_ what she was expecting. It was nothing like the massive, ornate chambers the Leviathan was known for. The entire hotel had been emptied and covered with white silks. There were no centerpieces on the few standing tables around the bar. There was no decoration of any kind, save the patterned white and gold banners along the walls, displaying Leviathan’s crest in a rather haunting way.

“Ma’am?” A clipped voice brought Eida back down to the planet.

Eida looked at the man who'd spoken. His hand was gesturing for her coat.

“Right! Of course, here.” Eida winked and left after he handed over her tag.

Stoga was gripping her waist a little harder than was necessary, but Eida didn't mind. Whether or not it looked it, this was war.

“Drinks on me!” Stoga said. She was loud compared to the quiet, calm atmosphere of the venue.

It was the plan, of course, but it still made Eida uneasy to have a target on her back.

“Oh, you! Why couldn't you have been so generous last night?” Aurelia teased.

“I was,” Stoga countered and pulled Eida against her. “Just not with you!”

“Ha!” Aurelia laughed.

They were so obnoxious, but it was all for the benefit of Ezriel. Eida swallowed her hesitations and tried to act the part.

She took the drinks offered to her by her friends, and as the night wore on, by strangers too. This was the plan, too. Aurelia was the only one sober, pawning her drinks off when no one was watching or spilling them as an accident.

Eida drank and flirted and danced and waited. It was bound to work. She was ready. Drunk and sad, but ready. Aurelia had given the signal that both Ezriel and Leviathan had arrived, so all they needed to do now was wait.

Wait, wait, wait. Eida hated that word.

And then, it happened.

“Might I interrupt you ladies?” A smooth voice cut through their laughter.

Eida steeled herself and turned, her smile staying in place thanks to the copious amounts of alcohol she'd made herself drink.

“Yeeeees?” She asked, spinning around and losing her balance into the man she knew was Leviathan. “Oops! Ha, good catch, stranger! I fell. And. I am drunk.”

“Yes, I can see that.” He smiled as he said it, but the hatred in his eyes was thinly veiled. He looked much as he did in the cave; long golden hair tied into a sleek ponytail, immaculate golden suit tailored exactly right, and a desire to flay her alive simmering underneath that beautiful, twisted facade.

“Wow. W-o-w!” Eida slurred and hiccuped dramatically. “You-”

Leviathan’s grip on her arms tightened slightly, but he waited for her to continue.

“You, sir, are _super_ hot!” Eida smirked and stepped closer into his arms. “Mmm, you smell good too.”

His eyes widened ever so slightly, but he quickly recovered the shock.

“I am flattered,” he said dryly. Leviathan released her arms and took a step back.

Eida pouted and watched as a look of relief washed over his face when she did.

“Oh, don't mind her!” Stoga interrupted and stepped between them. “My new friend is rather forward.”

“New?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, new to me! These two found me on the streets a few months back! We're all best friends now.” Stoga explained, waving an arm towards Aurelia behind her, who was giggling at the bar with another woman.

Eida sighed and wrapped her arms around Stoga’s waist. “It's true. Sometimes, life just has a way of making all your dreams come true!”

Leviathan looked confused. And a moment later, impatient. He looked between them all before trying to make a graceful exit.

“Well, sorry to have bothered-” He was interrupted by Stoga.

“No, you're not!” Stoga laughed. “You wanted to sleep with my girlfriend!”

Leviathan’s eyes widened before he closed them and sighed, obviously having a hard time processing the situation. He was regretting his curiosity, just as Aurelia had predicted.

Eida smirked and kissed Stoga on the cheek. It was working. They had thrown him off.

“It's alright,” Eida said, locking eyes with Stoga before turning back to him. “She doesn't mind sharing.”

“I'm afraid I must be going,” Leviathan spoke almost before she finished her sentence.

“Oh, no! You scared away the hot one!” Eida said loudly as he walked away. He was still listening. He wouldn't be able to help himself and they knew it.

“I'm sorry,” Stoga answered just as loudly. “Maybe his friend will want to play instead?”

“I do like silver just as much,” Eida laughed. “It's a good thing this party is in a hotel.”

The girls cackled and went back to the bar, laughing louder when the bartender suggested that they try some of the food. ‘It’s free too,’ he had said, trying to cut them off.

Eida went to the restroom after an acceptable amount of time had passed, locking herself into the stall farthest from the door. She needed to vomit and cry and steel herself for what would come next.

She wiped her mouth and washed her hands, wishing she could wash off her makeup too. But she knew Aurelia would murder her if she came back without it.

Her reflection didn’t look anything like she felt inside. The Eida in the mirror was flawless and perfect and - alright, so her hair was more of a mess of curls than an artful array, but still - she lost her train of thought.

She would need to go back out there, accidentally find Ezriel, and flirt. Aurelia was certain that Leviathan would step in before she could flutter her eyelashes, but it would most likely be enough.

Leviathan had become a jealous creature. He would end this world and hopefully send them onward as soon as ‘ _his Ezriel’_ was in danger of not being ‘his’ anymore.

Eida took a deep breath and walked out, assuming the drunken, alluring mess that she knew would draw the most attention. Her newly shortened hair left her shoulders feeling cold, and she wanted nothing more than to ignore the people between her and her friends. But she was a warrior, and smiling would be her weapon this night. Giggling and glancing and smiling her way through the crowd, she finally found who she'd been looking for.

...but her heart stopped beating when she realized that Leviathan and Ezriel had found them first. She had to spin this. She could feel the flush of anger racing up her chest, and if she could feel it, then Leviathan would see it.

Eida smirked and sauntered forward, graceful and determined, through the rest of the crowd. She barely spared a look for Ezriel, which hurt more than anything. Instead, she slid into the space next to Leviathan and playfully slipped the drink from his hand.

“You couldn’t resist, could you?” She said to him. “What’s a man like you drinking tonight?”

Eida peered into his glass and took a sip, grimacing at the taste of it. “Ooft. Well, that answers that.”

Leviathan just stood there, unsure of what to do next.

“So, whose party do you think this is?” Eida asked Aurelia. “I don’t recognize any of these logos.”

“Hell if I know,” Aurelia answered. “But who am I to say no to a good time, yeah?”

“Exactly,” Stoga chimed in, grabbing Leviathan’s drink from Eida’s hand and downing it. “Wow. Now there’s a guy I could get to know!”

“My love,” Ezriel interrupted and touched Leviathan’s arm. “I need a moment.”

“Excuse us,” Leviathan said. It wasn’t his usual tone. He sounded concerned.

The pair didn’t go far enough away to not be heard, and Eida was sure that had been Ezriel’s intention. She loved him so much right now.

“I know this is your party, and…” he trailed off and narrowed his eyes at the floor. “I know how much this means to you?” He was an excellent actor.

“Yes? What-” Leviathan put a hand on Ezriel’s shoulder. He was worried now.

“My head.” Ezriel pinched the bridge of his nose. “My head is spinning, but I don’t remember...drinking.”

Leviathan glanced at their table, but Eida was pretending to whisper into Stoga’s ear and Aurelia looked like she was thoroughly enjoying the story being told to her by the woman behind her.

“I’ve made my contacts,” Leviathan said, stroking the side of Ezriel’s face. “Business is done. We can make our exit.” He was still clinging to his useless charade. Eida felt a bit of pride at being called ‘business.’

“Wonderful, darling, that would be wonderful.” Ezriel sighed and began to rub his temples, slipping his endearment for Eida into their conversation.

What Ezriel didn’t see, and the rest of them did, was the moment Leviathan froze at the endearment. An anger so raw flashed across his face, and his knuckles clenched white as he made a sudden fist.

“ _My love_ ,” Leviathan corrected.

“That’s what I said,” Ezriel snapped back as Ezriel the Sorcerer, just for a moment. Just long enough for Leviathan to see that his spell might be fading. And then it was gone, and in the Sorcerer’s place was the docile Ezriel, looking hurt and confused. “Would you take me home? I think...I need to rest…”

“At once,” Leviathan replied. He glanced their way again, but his suspicions must have been fading. Instead of confronting them and flaunting his power, he turned his attentions to Ezriel as they left the hall. Leviathan’s hand was possessive at the base of Ezriel’s spine, a clear provocation that would have made the Fury of Thorns retaliate.

But they did not. They were securely under his spell, as he expected. But Ezriel was not - or he wouldn’t be very soon. Leviathan would need to pour every ounce of his power into keeping his silver angel asleep. And maybe, he wouldn’t put enough into keeping the rest of them under his spell.

And if this world’s magics worked as Aurelia suspected, they might wake up in the next universe with a fighting chance.

They finished their drinks. They danced. Stoga and Eida may have taken a little too long freshening up in the hotel’s powder room. Aurelia had sat back in her chair, confident and calculating.

But they never made it back to their small apartment. And the scratched yellow pan would probably be sold along with all of their abandoned things. They would never find out what happened to the remnants of their time here, but if it meant finally putting an end to Leviathan’s madness, it was knowledge they would happily live without.


End file.
